Rabbi’s Message — 10/2/24

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Rabbi David Katz

Let us pray for peace in Israel. All eyes have turned to the mid-East.

It is astonishing that 15-16 million Jews on this planet can be so the center of the world’s attention. Even when there are no missile attacks on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the State of Israel seems always to be on the front cover of the world’s newspapers. During the course of any week it is near impossible to turn on the television or go to an online news source without viewing a story that makes reference to Israel or Jews. Even if a Jew wanted to be divested of all things Jewish it would be impossible. The world will not let any of us forget who we are.

Yet the High Holidays call upon us to ignore what others say or think about Jews. The Holidays call upon us to reconfirm our identity on our own terms and in our own way. This is the time of year when we stand before God as a community in order to assess our moral shortcomings, beg forgiveness, and promise to do better in the future. During these high holidays, we start with self-examination, expand our concern to personal relationships, then concentrate on our relationship with God – a relationship which must ever be renewed and deepened.

It is because of this full accounting that we can go out into the world, strengthened and newly confident in who we are – not taking on the definition of others – not accepting the label of victims or vanquishers. We can go into the world as Jews whose raison d’etre is to be the bearers of a message… that God wants the human family to live in peace.

We will be who we decide to be… and during the holidays we will be God’s people, a light to the nations, the standard bearer for justice and righteousness. During these High Holidays we will come together as a community to pray, to study ancient texts, to fast, to shake the lulav and the etrog, to dance with the Torahs and take joy and pride in our ancient tradition.

No one else can define us when we join together in full community to embrace our Jewish heritage and our Jewish destiny.

It is the new year 5785.

 

Shanah Tovah!

Rabbi David Katz